Editor’s note: Former University of Minnesota guard Flip Saunders, fired in 2005 as Timberwolves coach, is reuniting with Wolves owner Glen Taylor as president of basketball operations and a limited partner. Saunders, 58, is the latest subject in Pioneer Press sports columnist Bob Sansevere’s continuing series of first-person stories.

Back home, I was Phillip when I did things wrong and I was Flip when things were OK. I became Flip way back when. My mom was a hairdresser and there’s a lady whose hair she cut. The lady had polio and her son would bring her in her wheelchair to get a haircut. Her son was in the service and his name was Phillip, but they called him Flip. My mom picked up on that and started calling me Flip. I was six or seven years old. I’m Flip with everybody.

What is it about Minnesota? It’s about the people and about the passion. You’re either in or you’re out. You’re Minnesota people. We can talk to each other, but don’t let anyone else talk about us. They say Minnesota Nice, that people are so nice. But I just believe it’s the passion people have to live their lives. I don’t know if you can really explain it. It just seems to draw you. It always drew me back. No matter what, you always have a comfort level in Minnesota. You can be gone five years and come back, and after two weeks you think you never were away.

People probably have more pet peeves about me than I have about them.

If I had a chance to go back in history, I would like to see Martin Luther King’s speech, the I-have-a-dream speech.

If I could have any superhero’s superpower, I’d have to go with Superman.

I think I had 13 letters in high school. I played football and baseball, ran track and cross country. I was a quarterback and a defensive back. I think my sophomore year was my last year of football because I didn’t want to take a chance of ruining my knees. I played five years of baseball and played shortstop. Back when I was in high school, we played baseball in the summer time. I actually ran cross country one year when I was playing football.

I only had 71 kids in my graduating class. We were small.

My parents had the biggest influence on me. My father is an ex-Marine. He lives by himself at home. He dances three times a week. My mom was extremely competitive. She passed away about a year and a half ago. I had a lot of people influence me. My brother is seven years older than me — to the day. I was his birthday present. He influenced me. Outside of my family, there was Kevin Wilson, who recruited me here at Minnesota and was one of the most influential people.

As a kid, I wanted to play in the NBA. Every kid has that dream.

If I was five inches taller, I would have played 15 years in the NBA.

You want to make progress. How do you become a playoff team? You create an environment at home where you win your home games. And then you try to start winning on the road.

Would I envision (in 2005) I would be back here in the position I’m in? Probably not.

I never try to burn bridges.

I’m happy with where I’m at. I have a lot to do right now. I couldn’t really answer (about coaching again).

Glen and I talk all the time. We talked a lot for the last year. My intentions were more along the ownership route. My conversations with Glen over the last year were about that. I brought two groups he met with, and they wanted to get in with a minority ownership with the idea of maybe taking over the general (partnership). One thing led to another and as we talked about it, I said, “You really don’t want to sell the team, do you?” He said, “No, I’m really having fun. I see where the league is going. There’s going to be a new TV deal.” It’s going to be astronomical. It’s going to go through the roof. So there are a lot of good things happening in the league. Then I basically said to him, “Well, if you’re looking and you’re not going to sell, would you look for a limited partner?” He had interest. And that led to where we’re at.

On ESPN, all you have to know about is five teams. And this wasn’t one of the five. The top five teams, that’s what we talk about.

My decision (about coaching at the University of) Minnesota had nothing to do with this. Glen was the first person, when I decided not to take the Minnesota job, I called.

Funniest movie ever? For me, it’s “Animal House.”

I’ll tell you what, from a basketball standpoint, my favorite movie is “Hoosiers.” Having played at a small school, I can relate to a small school playing against the big boys.

I would say my favorite actor, believe or not, would be Bill Murray. He can do so many different, dynamic roles. And I like Jack Nicholson, too.

I would hope my friends would say, “He would do anything to help you and put the friendship before anything else.”

How did I know my wife was the one? Those are things you can’t explain. We met in college.

Last meal? I’d probably go steak and lobster.

I’m more into political TV shows, like “Scandal,” “House of Cards.” I watch “The Following.” I’m more into those progressional series type of shows.

R&B.

If I could changes places with anyone for a day, it’d be the president of the United States. I have an idea of the pressure he goes through. I would like to experience that and all the dynamics that go with it.

I want to leave some type of legacy. The legacy might be just having an impact on one individual player or one person in the business. I want to leave one footmark that has left somebody’s life better.

As you comment, please be respectful of other commenters and other viewpoints. Our goal with article comments is to provide a space for civil, informative and constructive conversations. We reserve the right to remove any comment we deem to be defamatory, rude, insulting to others, hateful, off-topic or reckless to the community. See our full terms of use here.

More in Sports

It didn’t take long, or much, for Henry Ellenson to understand the physical nature of the NBA game. One elbow from 7-foot, 280-pound teammate Andre Drummond in training camp did the trick. “That one hurt,” Ellenson said. That’s been one of the biggest adjustments for the Rice Lake (Wis.) High School grad, who was drafted No. 18 overall by the...

EAST LANSING, Mich. — Although the Gophers did not get the start they wanted Friday against Michigan State, they have to be happy with the ending. Minnesota earned a hard-fought 4-2 road win at Munn Arena after trailing early in the game. Tyler Sheehy and Justin Kloos each had a goal and an assist for the Gophers (8-5-2, 2-1-0-0 Big Ten). JT...

Adam Thielen has heard many descriptions about him in recent years: Hard-working guy. Local long shot who made the NFL. Gritty special teams player. Thielen, though, had longed to show much more. The Vikings wide receiver made the NFL in an unexpected way. The Detroit Lakes, Minn., native was undrafted in 2013 out of Minnesota State Mankato, and came out...

Vikings coach Mike Zimmer has one significant restriction for Sunday’s game at Jacksonville: Don’t get bowled over on the sideline. Indications Friday were that Zimmer will coach from the sideline rather than in the box for his first game back since undergoing emergency eye surgery last week. But he needs to be careful. “The doctor just doesn’t want me to...

Tre Jones is a prime candidate to post Russell Westbrook-like numbers for Apple Valley (2-0) this season. Like the Oklahoma City point guard, Jones is a triple-double possibility on any given evening. He already notched one: a 29-point, 13-rebound, 11-assist performance in Apple Valley’s win over defending Class A state champion Minneapolis North last Saturday. Jones followed that up with...

Second-year receiver Stefon Diggs has a chance to join a pair of legends in the Vikings’ record book. The only players in Minnesota history to have 100 catches in a season are hall of famer Cris Carter and Randy Moss, who figures to join Carter in the Canton, Ohio, shrine soon. Now, Diggs also could get to the century mark....